Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 94

Volume 4: The Perils of the Jianghu

Flowing water and flames

The potential of a person in a desperate situation is infinite. Su Yi felt as if her soul was about to leave her body from exhaustion, but she finally managed to drag Ji Qingchi ashore.

Once on the bank, she immediately started performing CPR on Ji Qingchi. After pressing for a good while, Ji Qingchi finally spat out the water but still didn’t wake up.

            

Su Yi fumbled through the bundle she carried and took out a medicine bottle. Thankfully, the waterproofing measures for the Changsheng Valley medicine were well done; the medicine hadn’t been ruined by the water.

After opening it, she carefully fed Ji Qingchi one of the life-saving pills that Feng Ruoqing had given her.

Ji Qingchi was very cooperative. Even in her unconscious state, upon feeling something in her throat, she swallowed it down instinctively.

            

Su Yi’s fingers lingered near her mouth, a pang of sorrow in her heart.

It was written in the book that this was an unconscious action of Ji Qingchi. She hadn’t always been an invincible God of War; she had started on the battlefield in her teens, accumulating experience bit by bit.

She had been injured too many times, often falling unconscious. To ensure she could still drink the medicine prescribed by doctors even while unconscious, she had given herself a psychological suggestion: whenever she was fed medicine, she would be exceptionally compliant.

            

After taking the life-saving pill, Ji Qingchi slowly regained consciousness after a while.

Opening her eyes and seeing Su Yi, she smiled faintly and said softly, “We… made it down the cliff?”

“Yes, we did.” Su Yi wiped the water from her face and said with a wry smile, “We’re on the shore. I used all my strength to drag you up just now, but I don’t have the energy to pull you up to your feet.”

            

“Don’t worry.” Ji Qingchi smiled and reached out to brush the hair from Su Yi’s face. “I’ll carry you away later.”

Using her true qi to seal the acupoints on her left leg and hand, Ji Qingchi struggled to her feet. “Come here, I’ll carry you on my back.”

“Forget it. Your hands are covered in wounds. I can walk by myself.”

            

“It’s okay—”

“Quick, go check over there! There’s a lake! Maybe they fell into the water!”

Ji Qingchi’s voice was interrupted by noisy shouts. The two exchanged a look. “Damn it, those people are about to catch up.”

            

Su Yi quickly said, “You’re injured, you can’t run while carrying me. I’ll support you. Let’s run quickly.”

In this situation, trying to be a hero wouldn’t lead to a good outcome. Ji Qingchi nodded in agreement. So, supporting each other, they stood up and fled.

Afraid that those people would use their footprints to determine where they had fled, Su Yi deliberately led Ji Qingchi through the shallow part of the lake. There was a small stream there; by following the current upstream, they wouldn’t leave any traces of their passage.

            

As they walked, Su Yi felt a sharp, itchy pain in her ankle, as if something had bitten her. Thinking it was a leech or something similar, she gritted her teeth and endured it without a sound, following Ji Qingchi along the stream. The two were so focused on escaping that they didn’t pay attention to the path underfoot.

Suddenly, Su Yi’s foot stepped on empty air. It turned out there was a hole here, just big enough for one person to pass through, covered by a thin layer of earth. The moment she stepped on it, she fell through.

“Ugh…”

            

“Be careful!”

Ji Qingchi quickly tried to grab her, but it was too late. She had no choice but to jump down decisively, following her into the fall.

Beneath the opening was a pile of jumbled rocks and sharpened bamboo stakes. Falling directly onto them would surely not end well.

            

Ji Qingchi timely threw out hidden weapons and unleashed her true qi, sweeping all those things away to reveal a flat ground. Only then did she and Su Yi land with a scare but no serious harm.

Fortunately, the hole wasn’t deep, only a little over a meter. Their fall didn’t cause major injuries, but Su Yi, being delicate and weak, not only scraped her arm but also sprained her ankle.

Su Yi endured the pain and looked around. “What is this place?”

            

Thanks to the light from the opening above, the place where they had landed was clearly illuminated.

It was a cave. The entrance was the small stream, fenced off with a bamboo lattice and covered with some thatch. Without a close look, one would think it was just an ordinary patch of grass.

Inside the cave, there were many types of dried medicinal herbs, sorted into categories, as well as neatly arranged firewood. Further in, there were some bamboo utensils, broken porcelain, dried meat jerky, dried vegetables, and dried fruits. There was also an area paved with soft grass, resembling a bed.

            

It was clearly inhabited.

Ji Qingchi went over to the dried medicinal herbs. Upon closer inspection, she found herbs for treating external injuries and antidotes. Without ceremony, she took them. Using a few bamboo tubes from the cave, she carefully fetched some water from the entrance, planning to brew the herbs in a battered porcelain pot from the cave for herself and Su Yi to share.

Su Yi held a bamboo tube and hesitated, “Is it okay for us to use someone else’s things like this?”

            

To prevent those people from catching them, Ji Qingchi flew up and quickly used some dry grass from the cave to cover the hole they had fallen through. “We’re just borrowing from her. We’ll return what we borrow. When the owner comes, we’ll just let her know.”

Without the light from the opening, the cave instantly became much darker. Ji Qingchi took out a waterproof tinderbox​¹ from her personal bundle, blew on it twice, lit it, and then set up a pile of firewood. She placed the pot for brewing medicine and a pot for boiling water on the fire.

The cave became much warmer now. Ji Qingchi pulled some dry grass from the makeshift bed. Gritting her teeth, she used her true qi to dry her entire body, then took off her outer and middle robes, spreading them on the dry grass. After sitting down herself, she poked at the firewood and gestured to Su Yi, “Come over, sit here. It’s warmer here.”

            

Su Yi was drenched. She hadn’t felt it while running, but now she was truly freezing. So, she obediently limped over and sat down beside her.

Ji Qingchi reached out, intending to use her true qi to dry Su Yi’s clothes. However, as soon as her hand touched Su Yi’s back, she felt a wave of dizziness. She had to lean against the cave wall to keep from falling.

Su Yi quickly grabbed her. “You’re injured and don’t have much strength. Don’t recklessly use your true qi anymore. My clothes will dry if I just warm them by the fire.”

            

Ji Qingchi rested for a moment and felt a bit better. She then reached out to undo Su Yi’s clothes. Su Yi quickly stopped her, “What are you doing?”

“Helping you dry your clothes.”

Su Yi thought it made sense, so she followed her example and took off her outer and middle robes.

            

Ji Qingchi set up some wooden sticks and helped her dry her clothes. Su Yi leaned against her, feeling drowsy.

Ji Qingchi gently patted her face. “Don’t sleep. Let’s treat your wounds first.”

They both carried wound medicine in their personal bundles. The doctors had done a good job with waterproofing; when taken out, the medicine was still dry.

            

Ji Qingchi took out some Golden Sore Medicine​² and carefully treated Su Yi’s abrasions and her own injuries. She then gently massaged Su Yi’s sprained ankle.

On Ji Qingchi’s left leg, the wound had turned white from being soaked in water, the flesh everted. However, it no longer had that nauseating feeling from before. Perhaps the Gu-insects inside had been drowned by the water.

At Su Yi’s ankle, where she had felt the sharp, itchy pain earlier, the skin was smooth, with no wound at all. It made Su Yi almost think the bite she felt earlier was an illusion.

            

Since there was no injury there, Su Yi didn’t tell Ji Qingchi about seemingly being bitten earlier. She obediently leaned against her, helped her apply the Golden Sore Medicine, and then tore the bundle wrapping into several strips to use as bandages, dressing Ji Qingchi’s right hand.

After treating their wounds, the brewed herbal medicine was ready. They shared it. Ji Qingchi then used the dried meat and vegetables from the cave to cook a meat soup. After eating, they felt much better all over, just sleepy.

So, they held each other and fell asleep facing the bonfire.

            

As they slept, Ji Qingchi felt a scorching heat in her arms. She opened her eyes and saw Su Yi in her embrace, struggling to remove all her clothes. Her burning, cool skin rubbed against hers, her eyes alluring as silk, tilting her head up, seeking kisses.

Ji Qingchi thought she was dreaming. The low fever from her wounds had muddled her mind. She removed her own cumbersome clothing and lay down.

The person in her arms was like porcelain, so fragile she feared she might break her with a little pressure. Ji Qingchi held her, letting her be on top.

            

“Sweetheart… lie on me…”

Her injured hand was useless, so she could only hold her, pressing them tightly together.

It was like embracing a bolt of silk, the smooth and cool touch making one want to hold her even tighter.

            

The long-suppressed flame encountered the silent, flowing water. Desire made her eagerly approach that stream, devouring that soft and gentle presence bit by bit.

The fierce flame seared the water, causing it to churn and surge. Finally, they transformed into a trickling stream, flowing quietly.

One stream slowly dried up, rubbing against the silk, rubbing, rubbing, slowly turning back into a flame. The scorching heat made her impatiently grasp the other stream, merging and coiling, becoming one.

            

After five collisions between the flame and the stream, the flame finally, slowly, extinguished, once again becoming melted water. Together with the already overflowing brook, they flowed hand in hand into the ocean of dreams.

The long-held flame was soothed. Ji Qingchi was utterly content, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, caressing the silk in her arms, unable to put it down.

She didn’t know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, she felt exceptionally refreshed and clear-headed. Before she could even savor the dream she just had, she met a pair of probing eyes.

            

An old woman dressed in indigo cotton clothes, her hair streaked with white but full of spirit, was craning her neck to look at her. Seeing her open her eyes, she smiled at her, “Little lady, you’re awake.”

“Who are you!” Ji Qingchi instantly became alert, her left hand forming a claw. “Speak, or you’ll be sorry.”

“You just woke up, don’t be so fiery.” The old woman pointed to her embrace with a smile. “Perhaps, you should dress your friend first?”

            

Ji Qingchi looked down and found Su Yi in her arms, completely naked. She quickly pulled some clothes over to cover her.

After arranging Su Yi’s clothes, she looked at the old woman with great vigilance again. “Who are you?”

“Aiya, don’t be so fierce.” The old woman sat down opposite her with a smile. “Look, you two ran into my home, ate my food, used my things, and slept in my place, and I haven’t said anything, have I?”

            

Ji Qingchi asked doubtfully, “This cave is your place?”

“I’ve lived here for almost two years. Everything in here was set up by me. Of course, it’s my place.”

Ji Qingchi lowered her head. “I apologize… This junior was forced by circumstances. After getting injured, I had nowhere else to go and borrowed Senior’s precious place…”

            

“Let’s skip the pleasantries,” the old woman said with a smile. “You two were busy for nearly two shichen, covered in sweat. While you two were busy, I boiled some hot water. Look, do you want to help the little lady in your arms wipe herself down?”

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The author has something to say:

My stream-of-consciousness writing isn’t very good, it needs improvement.

            

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